Merry Christmas, Sweetheart
by Fairy Roses
Summary: This is the story of how Draco and Hermione actually met, years before Hogwarts. This is also the story of how muggleborn Hermione became a witch. Christmastype theme. Fluffy little oneshot.


Did you ever wonder how exactly Hermione gained her magical ability? How does a girl with no wizarding ancestry to speak of become such an amazing witch? Well, it happened when she was younger, and a certain little boy gave her a gift that would change her entire life.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Merry Christmas, Sweetheart

23 December, 1987

Hermione was so excited. Christmas was so close! She and her parents traveled to Wiltshire to spend the holiday with her grandparents. A neatly wrapped present sat in her lap. The entire train ride she wonderingly touched it, completely aware that she would not be able to open it until she got to the house. Her parents smiled at their little girl.

When they arrived at the station, Hermione jumped down from the seat and followed her parents off the train. Her grandparents were waiting for them on the platform.

"Granny! Pappy!" Hermione rushed to hug them. Pappy picked her up and swung her around before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Look how big you've gotten! You must come visit more often. I can't stand only seeing you on the holidays. Before I know it, you're going to be all grown up."

"Mum, please let's not go there. It's Christmas time. Let's just have a nice visit," Hermione's mother said. She and her husband had moved out of Wiltshire two years ago, much to her parents' dismay. They wanted the family to move back, but the Grangers were content where they were.

"Granny, look at this!" Hermione prevented the adult's argument. She held out her present. Mum said I could have one present early."

"You can open it when we get to the house, dear," her father said. "Shall we get going?" He grabbed his daughter's free hand and followed the others to the car.

Hermione looked around the station at all the decorations and happy families. There was one family, however, who did not look happy. The father had a mean look about him, the mother looked as if there were an unpleasant smell under her nose, and the little boy had the most sour expression that no one would want to see so close to the holiday.

"Oh, it's the Malfoys," Granny said, indicating the family Hermione was watching. "They're our neighbors. They must be expecting some family today, as well. How nice. Maybe Draco has some cousins that he'll finally be able to play with."

xxxx

The ride home was a pleasnt one. Hermione sang Christmas carols the entire way, greatly entertaining her grandparents. They finally arrived and unloaded the car. Hermione ran inside, carefully placing her present on the kitchen table, and went in search of Parker.

"Here, kitty kitty," she found him eying up the Christmas tree. Hermione played with him for a few minutes while the adults prepared for the evening. Granny and mum went into the kitchen to make dinner as the men made a fire in the living room. It was a cozy scene. The smell of food drifted throughout the house and Hermione sat in front of the fire dragging a piece of yarn around the floor for Parker to follow.

The doorbell rang. "I got it!" Hermione jumped to her feet and ran to the front door. Pappy followed at a more relaxed pace. The little girl swung the door open to greet the visitor. It was the little boy from the train station. He had blond hair and grey eyes. His nose and cheeks were red from the cold. He could not have been much older than Hermione, but he was all by himself.

"Oh, hello Draco. Hermione," Pappy put a hand on her shoulder. "This is our neighbor, Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is my granddaughter, Hermione Granger. What brings you to the house today? We saw you at the train station. Do you have some family visiting?"

He let Draco inside and shut the door behind him. Granny came into the room and started helping the boy. She took his scarf, gloves, coat, and boots and put them by the fire.

"No. More of dad's friends. I'm not allowed to hear what they're talking about so I got bored and came down here."

"Do your parents know you're here?" Granny asked.

"Mum knows."

"Well, in that case, you're welcome to stay for dinner."

"Thank you, Granny," Draco followed her into the kitchen. "Do you need any help with anything?"

"No thank you, dear. Why don't you and Hermione play with Parker until the food's ready?"

"I have an idea. Hermione, love? Why don't you open your present. You can share with-" her mother began.

"Draco," her grandmother finished. "This is Draco. Isn't he the most well-behaved little gentleman you've ever met?"

"Come on," Hermione dragged Draco into the living room with her. She retrieved her present off the table and set it down on the floor to unwrap it. She looked up at her new playmate and smiled. He seemed unsure at first, but eventually he sat down beside her. Hermione tore into the wrapping. "Oh wow! Magic tricks!" Hermione exclaimed. "Thanks mum! Thanks dad!" She yelled throughout the house so both parents could hear her. She'd been obsessed with magic ever since she'd read a book about it in school.

"Do you like magic?"

"Yes. My parents do magic all the time."

"Are they magicians?"

"No. Dad's a wizard and mum's a witch. They do better magic."

Draco and Hermione read about the different magic tricks; reading minds, making coins disappear, making random objects appear, etc. They rehearsed for a while until they felt practiced enough to put on a show before dinner.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Hermione called loudly after she and Draco herded the adults into one room. "May I present, the amazing wizard, Draco Malfoy!"

Everybody clapped as Draco bowed.

"A wizard," mum said. "Don't you mean a magician?"

"No. Draco wants to be called a wizard."

"So, are you his assistant?"

"No. She's a witch. We both do the same magic."

"Oh, that's nice," everybody agreed.

The show lasted for ten minutes and it was, surprisingly, the best magic show any of the adults had seen. The children were quite talented.

They had a nice dinner together. Draco and Hermione jabbered on like old friends. Pappy offered to walk Draco back home after dessert. "We don't want your parents worrying about you too much."

Granny explained that Draco often came down to visit when his parents were busy. They were nice enough people, but they often neglected their son. At least once a week, Draco came down to have dinner with them.

Grudgingly, Draco agreed to leave. Hermione dressed warmly and went with them.

"That's your house?" She gaped when they finally saw Malfoy Manor.

Draco nodded.

"It's so big!"

Draco got excited. "I'll ask my parents if you can come over tomorrow. But," the smile left his face. "I'm not usually allowed to have friends over."

"Well, if you want to play with Hermione again, you're always welcome at our house, Draco."

"Thank you. Well, I can make it from here. It's cold out, you can go back home now. Have a good night!" Draco ran the rest of the way to the mansion.

"His parents are really rich, and they don't pay a lot of attention to Draco. I don't know if he has very many friends."

"He's a nice boy."

"He is. He's a lot like you, wise beyond his years. I swear, listening to the two of you talking, I'd think you were teenagers if I didn't know any better."

xxxx

Draco came down the next afternoon and spent the entire day with Hermione and her family.

"Draco, dear. Shouldn't you spend Christmas Eve with your family?" Granny asked him.

"Dad left this morning. He has business to take care of. Mum said she wasn't feeling well today. She told me to be back in time for dinner tonight, though."

"That's too bad. Well, we're happy to have you."

"We should play magic again," Hermione suggested when she and Draco were alone. "I bet we could probably make up our own tricks."

"I don't feel like playing magic today, actually," Draco admitted. "I play magic all the time at home."

"Really? No wonder you're so good. Maybe you can teach me more later. Oh well. What do you want to do now?"

"Let's go play in the snow!"

They got dressed and went outside. They built a fort, made snow angels, had a snowball fight, made a snowman, and then mum called them inside for some hot cocoa.

"I made you something for Christmas," Hermione told Draco. "I made it yesterday after you left. I hope you like it," she handed him an awkwardly wrapped gift.

Draco looked guilty. "But I didn't get you anything."

"It's okay, you don't have to. I just wanted you to have this."

Draco unwrapped the gift and opened the box it was in. Inside sat a hat (a piece of construction paper rolled and taped to look like a wizard's hat, and a stick Hermione had painted to look like a magic wand.

"Now you can be a real wizard. I wanted to make a cape, too, but I didn't know how."

"Thank you Hermione! I'm going to go home now and get you something. I'll bring it to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Good night. See you tomorrow."

xxxx

"Draco, darling, what are you doing in mummy's jewelry box?"

Draco turned around quickly. "I'm looking for a pretty present to give to somebody for Christmas."

His mother smiled. Last year, Draco found her favourite pair of earrings, wrapped them up, and gave them to her Christmas night. How sweet.

"Can I see what you've got?"

Draco held out a silver ring that was encrusted with diamonds and sapphires. Narcissa smiled when she saw it. It was much too small for her now, it might fit on her pinky. She got it when she was a little girl. "That, darling, is called an Awakening Ring. My father gave it to me when I was ten. It's supposed to awaken _all_ of the magic that lies dormant, or sleeping, in your body. Daddy bought it for me so that I could be a powerful witch. I don't know if it worked or not. I mean, I am a powerful witch, but how could I be anything but in a family as ancient as the Blacks-"

Draco had stopped listening. "Perfect," he said, and ran away.

xxxx

"Merry Christmas, Hermione," Draco said as he came inside her grandparents' house. "I have your present, but you have to close your eyes and hold out your hands."

Hermione excitedly complied. Draco pulled the ring out of her pocket and slipped it onto her finger. She opened her eyes and gaped at the ring. "It's beautiful!"

"Mum says that it's supposed to make the person who wears it a powerful witch. Maybe it'll work for you. Then we can do better magic tricks together."

"Thank you, Draco!" Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheeks He blushed.

xxxx

And so, ironically enough, without Draco's gift, Hermione might never have become a witch. So, you may ask, what happened between Draco and Hermione? What happened to the ring? Well, when Narcissa realized that Draco wasn't going to give her the ring for Christmas, she asked about it. Draco told her that he gave it to his friend who was staying with her grandparents down the hill. Narcissa couldn't believe what she was hearing.

She did not want to tell Lucius, he would only want to scold Draco, and so she had no choice. She needed to get the ring back. Only muggles lived around here, and a witch's ring on a muggle girl could mean nothing but trouble. Narcissa forbade Draco from ever visiting that house again, and she took matters into her own hand. She began walking down to the house, hoping that it was not too late.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Malfoy," Granny welcomed her. "It's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you, too. Draco tells me that he had a playmate down here. I would like to talk to her, please."

"Of course," she conceded, guessing that she might be inviting Hermione up to the house to play with Draco.

Hermione came to the door to talk to Mrs. Malfoy. "Do you still have that ring that Draco gave you?"

Hermione nodded and showed Narcissa her left hand. Her eyes widened. "Wait! Where did it go?" The ring was gone, only an imprint was left. Narcissa had feared this would happen. The ring was not meant to be worn for more than a few hours at a time. On a witch, it would be worn for an hour a day, and it was supposed to awaken a considerable amount of power. On this muggle, however, it became a part of her after a few hours. This girl would be a witch. A muggleborn witch.

Well, Narcissa would most certainly not have her son dealing with such filthy blood. She used _obliviate_ on the entire family. When she returned home, she right away began brainwashing her son into thinking that all non-pureblooded wizards were inferior to him. Soon, he would forget that he ever knew the little girl. And she would also forget him.

At first, however, Draco rebelled against his mother's attempts. He did not want to forget Hermione, and Hermione held onto a lingering feeling she had about a boy she once knew.

Hermione sat on the couch between mum and dad. Granny, who was knitting a scarf, was the only other person who hadn't fallen asleep. Hermione watched the flames dance in the fireplace. It must have been getting very late because she imagined that the fire changed colour and a boy's face appeared. Hermione thought little of the abnormality of such an occurance, but rather focused on a fading memory.

"I remember him... Who was that?" The fire was back to normal.

"Who, dear?" Granny asked.

After a moment of sorting out her thoughts, Hermione asked, "Wasn't there a little boy that I used to play with when I came here?"

"I don't think so, Hermione. Wait, there was that one family who used to live close by. They had a son about your age. That's right. What were their names? Oh, it was such a long time ago. I can't remember. I'm surprised you remembered, Hermione."

"I thought we were really good friends. It's strange. I haven't thought about him in such a long time, but I miss him now," Hermione looked at her hands half-expecting to see a ring on one of her fingers. For a moment, she imagined she saw one on her left ring finger, but it was nothing but a trick of the firelight.

xxxx

The End. Happy Holidays, ya'll.

I know, this wasn't written very well, but it was just a quick thought, and I wanted to get it down rather than forget about it. I hope you at least somewhat enjoyed it.


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